Meditation as a phenomenological and scientific tool complementary to psychotherapeutic strategies: Toward an operational definition

In the field of complementary psychotherapies and therapeutic care, meditation has been the subject of numerous studies over the last thirty years as a complementary therapeutic tool. These studies, which strive for increasing scientific and methodological rigor, have helped to clarify the effects of this practice on physical and mental health. However, there is still no consensus on the definition of meditation within the medical and psychological fields. There are, in fact, several ways of approaching the concept of meditation depending on the techniques and the schools of thought that underpin them.

Emphasizing the importance of having a clear and precise understanding of this concept, the objective of this study is to succinctly present the main historical and scientific foundations of research in this area. It seeks to highlight two major trends—concentration and mindfulness—with the aim of proposing an operational definition of meditation, without taking a stance on other meditative traditions.